He Knows Something
by AubreyAnne
Summary: He knows something despite trying not to notice


Adrien wasn't oblivious. Nor was he unobservant or inattentive or unrecognizing. He wasn't even too preoccupied to notice certain things about the girl who sat behind him at school. In fact, some may call him downright _perceptive_ \- almost _too_ observant- of the similarities between her and another friend of his- but he had promised his spotted companion that he wouldn't search for her identity and he was trying his best not to.

But there was something there- something nagging at the corners of his curiosity that kept him subconsciously making ven-diagrams- something that had him consciously seeking out opportunities to spend with his shy and spunky classmate- something that kept his keen gaze darting between twin pairs of pigtails and bright blue eyes, comparing one to the other, and trying to play 'spot the differences' whenever he was with one of them.

Of course, it hadn't started out like that. No, Adrien had tried his hardest to respect his Lady's wishes to retain their secret civilian identities and, to be fair, he couldn't tell himself that his suspicions were 100% correct or not, but he definitely had a hunch.

It wasn't until the day that Nathaniel got Akumatized, that he noticed the first hint of questioning in his mind- Ladybug had asked him to watch over a date between the Evillustrator and his classmate, Marinette, while she herself had a 'special mission' to take care of. He had known his Lady for months by this point and had never once witnessed her leaving a civilian in danger- she would rather take the hit than leave anything up to chance- and leaving him in charge of something so important had left him reeling. Either Ladybug was trusting him more, the idea of which left him preening with pleasure, or something else was happening… for some reason, Adrien couldn't bring himself to let it go.

But, he went along with the plan regardless- Ladybug always had a way of coming up with plans that would work- and so he had set off to watch over Marinette. The girl that he was expecting to converse with and the girl who he met outside of her family bakery were like night and day. Whenever he would talk to her as Adrien, she was shy and stuttering and, honestly, a bit clumsy- he found it endearing, really, but it often left him wondering what she was actually trying to say.

When he met her as Chat Noir though? She was sarcastic, she was flirty, she was daring- she was good in high-stress situations and saved them both from sinking into the Seine. He had been caught off guard by every facet of their interaction that night and had gone to bed with a head full of determined blue gazes and only the slightest blush when he realized that he had called her his Princess.

That was the beginning of everything for Adrien- that one simple attack had started off a fountain of questions in his mind and, try as he might to ignore them, his mind would inevitably linger on one for too long and another connection between Ladybug and Marinette would be made.

Her appearance was spot on- from the hair atop her head, to the delectably deep blue eyes always catching his gaze, to the way her body moved as she walked- how she would bite her lip when concentrating on something, to the ridiculous way her arms flailed around her when she was nervous or excited, to that glint she got in her eye after figuring out the solution to a problem- it all led him down a forbidden trail of thought which he was, begrudgingly, trying to avoid.

Attack after attack, Adrien's thoughts chased one another- he loved Ladybug, he had wanted to tell her ever since the Cocpycat fiasco- he had tried to write her a poem for valentine's day before Kim's Akuma had brainwashed him- but he could never get the questions out of his head long enough to keep him from thinking about both girls when he went to say the words. He had melded both of them so securely into one person, that he was afraid that if he were wrong- if Marinette _wasn't_ who he thought she was- that he wouldn't be able to love Ladybug as thoroughly as he thought he did. And that scared him.

And so, he had set out to spend more time with his classmate one on one. The first opportunity that he seized was Alya's request for him to translate for Marinette and her uncle who was in town from China- perfect! A whole day of conversation broken up only by one unfortunate Akumatization of said uncle… but ticked off another box towards his hunch being correct- Adrien realized that it would have been nearly impossible for Ladybug to get through the caramel outside of the building, unless she had already been inside with him.

It made Adrien's choice of not trying to actively search out his partner's identity even more difficult to live with. This was his best friend- the person who trusted him and who he trusted most in the world- he would not betray that trust. He would retrain his curiosity. He would not go stalk her balcony to try and catch her transforming. He was a better person than that.

What he didn't expect was to be paired up with the bluenette for the UMS III competition that their school was participating in. What he didn't expect was to catch sight of a framed photo of himself on her desk that magically disappeared half way through their training session. What he didn't expect was the feel of her soft hand over his when they both went to reach for a controller. He definitely wasn't expecting her to give him her own lucky charm bracelet and his heart beat painfully in his chest as their fingertips brushed quickly over each other once more.

It wasn't until Nino had asked for his help with talking to his crush that Adrien really felt at war with himself. He loved Ladybug- this he was absolutely certain of. He had a theory, but not enough of one to dissuade his best friend from asking out the cute girl who sat behind them- from what he could tell, Marinette and Nino were close… maybe he was the person that could make her happy- and who was Adrien to try and get in the way of that happiness?

He couldn't have predicted the rush of longing and the flush creeping across the bridge of his nose as he quietly directed Nino to tell Marinette that he loved her. Neither could he have predicted the swoop in his stomach and the flutter in his chest as Nino misspoke and Marinette eagerly agreed to set him up with Alya.

It wasn't until much later in the day, as Ladybug fearlessly jumped into a dinosaurs gaping mouth, that Adrien allowed himself to understand his own feelings. Watching the small girl disappear behind two rows of jagged teeth, his lungs filling with cement-like fear, all Chat could picture was Marinette and he couldn't breathe again until the Akuma was purified and he had her locked safely in his vice-like grip. He was trying so hard to separate the two girls in his mind, but his heart was already convinced.

It didn't help matters when he found out that Marinette had a crush on him.

Yes, his whole class thought that he was blind and would never figure it out (though he had needed Nino's gentle guidance when he had broken down and asked if Marinette was afraid of him) and yes, he had no idea what to do with the information once it clicked in his mind, but that didn't mean that he didn't jump around his room once he was alone to celebrate the fact that Marinette- maybe Ladybug- had a crush on him.

It explained a lot of things- the stuttering, the blushing, the jealously (on both Marinette's and Ladybug's parts) when Lila had joined their class and was trying to get to know him better, and it definitely explained why Alya kept trying to get the two of them interacting. With all of the knowledge that he had floating around in his head, all he could do was to try and act normally.

As Adrien, he could be more patient with Marinette- he would try and help her become more comfortable around him, he would find more opportunities to talk to her, and he would keep up with the façade that he had no inkling about her- possible- alter ego. As Chat, he would reprimand Ladybug when she over reacted about Lila, he would try and show her his more sensitive side, and he would keep taking the hits to protect her.

He knows something- something that he had tried not to understand out of respect for his partner- and all he can do is wait until she is ready to reveal herself to him.


End file.
